Field  Columbian  Museum 

Publication  59. 

Zoological  Series.  Vol.  Ill,  No.  5, 


THE  CARIBOU   OF  THE 

KENAI  PENINSULA, 

ALASKA. 


BY 

D.  G.   Elliot,   F.R.S.E. 
Curator  of  Department. 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 

July,    1901. 


Male  Caribou,   Kenai   Peninsula,  Alaska 
Sliot  by  H.  E.  Lee.  ;th  September,  1898. 


THE  CARIBOU  OF  THE  KENAI  PENINSULA,  ALASKA. 


By   D.  G.  Elliot,  F.R.S.E. 


In  an  article  lately  published  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York,  vol.  xiv,  p.  143,  Dr.  J.  A. 
Allen  describes  as  a  distinct  species  the  caribou  of  the  Kenai  Penin- 
sula, Alaska,  his  material  being  only  the  head  and  horns  of  a  male 
obtained  by  Mr.  A.  J.  Stone,  after  whom  the  animal  is  named.  Dr. 
Allen  bases  his  distinctive  characters  upon  the  dark  color  of  the  head; 
heavy  fringe  of  white  hair  on  the  front  of  the  neck,  large  size  and 
peculiar  form  of  the  "  anterior  branch  "  of  the  antlers,  and  the  "narrow 
and  slender  skull." 

There  has  been  for  the  past  two  years  or  more  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  H.  E.  Lee  of  this  city,  by  whom  it  was  shot  in  Alaska  on  the 
Kenai  Peninsula,  a  complete  mounted  specimen  of  a  very  fine  male 
caribou,  and  also  a  flat  skin,  without  the  head,  of  a  cow  killed  at  the 
same  place  and  on  the  same  day.  A  description  of  the  bull  is  here 
given  : 

Male  caribou  shot  by  Mr.  H.  E.  Lee  on  the  Kenai  Peninsula, 
Alaska,  5th  September,  1898.  End  of  nose  extending  back  slightly 
beyond  anterior  border  of  nostrils,  and  all  of  lower  lip  in  front,  silvery 
white.  Band  across  lower  lip,  posterior  to  the  white  and  extending 
on  to  the  nose  behind  nostrils  (darkening  this  portion  more  than  the 
rest),  and  upper  part  of  nose  and  head  to  between  the  horns,  dark 
chocolate  brown.  Cheeks  and  throat  paler  and  of  a  redder  brown  ; 
a  white  ring  around  eyes  ;  rest  of  head  and  neck  and  fore  part  of 
shoulders  mixed  black  and  white,  having  a  pepper  and  salt  appear- 
ance (probably  all  white  in  winter),  with  a  short  whitish  fringe  in 
front  of  neck,  lighter  than  the  neck  but  not  presenting  a  very  strong 
contrast  to  it.  Rest  of  body,  legs  and  upper  part  of  tail,  dark  red- 
dish or  chocolate  brown,  palest  on  the  shoulders  and  front  part  of 
legs,  and  darkest  on  the  belly,  where  it  is  a  blackish  brown.      Inner 

5Q 


60  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,   Vol.    III. 

side  of  legs  pale  brown.  Band  above  hoofs,  under  part  and  sides  of 
tail,  narrow  space  on  haunches  beneath  the  tail,  and  scrotum,  white. 
Ears  blackish  brown.      No  caudal    patch. 

Antlers  with  both  brow  tines  palmated.  Number  of  points  on 
antlers  fifty-six,  twenty-eight  on  each  side.  Measurements  around 
burr,  172;  along  curvature,  1,156;  greatest  spread,  875;  between 
tips  of  longest  tines,  820  ;  between  tips  of  main  beams,  680  ;  breadth 
of  palmation  of  right  brow  tine,  218  ;  of  left  brow  tine,  155.  Height 
of  animal  at  shoulder,  taken  in  the  flesh,  1,398  ;  around  neck  behind 
ears,  863.  Length  from  nose  to  root  of  tail  (mounted  specimen), 
1,900. 

On  first  looking  at  this  example  one  is  impressed  by  its  uniform 
dark  color,  this  hue  extending  over  the  entire  under  parts,  and  this  is 
more  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  of  all  the  known  species  of  this 
genus  there  is  none  without  some  white  on  the  belly,  unless  R.  daw- 
soni  may  be  an  exception.  This  would  seem  to  be  a  recognizable 
character  if  constant,  and  cause  this  animal  to  be  rather  conspicuous 
among  other  forms.  Unfortunately,  however,  an  inspection  of  the 
skin  of  the  female  discloses  the  fact  that  while  the  back  is  chocolate 
brown  like  that  of  the  male,  a  large  caudal  patch  and  the  belly  are 
white,  this  hue  extending  even  on  to  the  sides  of  the  body.  It  is 
hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  sexes  are  distinguished  by  the  pres- 
ence or  absence  of  white,  but  more  probable  that  this  hue  is  a  vari- 
able quantity  appearing  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  on  individuals 
without  being  influenced  by  any  controlling  cause.  Of  the  charac- 
ters mentioned  by  Dr.  Allen  as  probably  specific,  it  is  evident  that 
little  dependence  can  be  placed  on  the  fringe  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
neck,  as  this  is  visible  on  most  caribou,  lengthening  as  the  hairs  grow 
to  the  shaggy,  thick  coat  of  winter,  and  is  an  appendage  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree  on  the  neck  of  the  Canadian  caribou  {R.  caribou), 
familiar  to  all  hunters  of  that  animal.  Mr.  Lee's  specimen  has  a 
very  moderate  fringe,  slightly  lengthening  at  its  lowest  point.  The 
"large  size  and  peculiar  form  of  the  anterior  branch"  (by  which,  I 
suppose,  that  which  would  represent  the  "  bez "  is  intended,)  of 
the  antler  is  not  particularly  remarkable  in  Mr.  Lee's  specimen 
whose  photograph  is  here  given,  although  it  is  exceedingly  well 
developed,  and  from  the  fact  that  there  is  so  great  a  diversity 
among  horns  of  caribou,  both  in  shape,  size,  and  various  peculi- 
arities, to  a  degree  that  no  two  are  nearly  alike,  it  is  hardly  safe 
to  rely  upon  any  one  of  them  for  a  specific  character.  Of  the 
horns  of  Mr.  Lee's  two  males,  here  shown  on  the  plates,  it  will 
be  readily  seen  that  not  only  do  they  differ  widely  from  each  other,  but 


FIELD   COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.    XII. 


Dropped  Antler  from  Kenai  Peninsula,  Alaska. 

Found  by  H.  E.  Lee. 


July,  1901.    The  Caribou  of  Kenai  Pen'sula,  Alaska. — Elliot.    61 

also  from  the  antlers  of  Dr.  Allen's  type.  Failing  then  to  distinguish 
the  Kenai  Peninsula  caribou  as  a  distinct  form  by  any  of  the 
characters  mentioned  by  Dr.  Allen,  apparently  nothing  remains  but 
the  color,  and  the  unusually  dark  under  parts,  and  as  the  skin  of  the 
cow  does  not  resemble  that  of  the  bull,  having  both  a  white  belly  and 
caudal  patch,  we  are  forced  to  regard  the  coloration  either  as  a  sexual 
distinction,  or  of  no  consequence.  But  in  order  to  determine  this 
satisfactorily  a  considerable  number  of  both  sexes  will  have  to  be 
obtained. 

Some  two  years  ago,  I  saw  in  Seattle  a  mounted  specimen  of  a  bull 
caribou  also  from  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  and  my  recollection  of  it  is, 
a  dark  animal  with  horns  different  again  from  any  here  shown,  but 
my  memory  fails  to  recall  whether  or  not  there  was  any  white  on  the 
belly.  The  caribou  of  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  evidently  like  those  from 
other  parts  of  the  continent,  exhibit  a  great  variety  and  shape  of 
horns,  and  it  may  be  doubted  if  a  style  can  be  established  so  radically 
different  from  its  very  close  allies,  R.  montanus,  and  R.  dawsoni,  as  to 
be  able  to  maintain  itself  as  a  separate  form,  or  whether  indeed  the 
above  named  animals  in  a  large  series  of  specimens,  could  present 
evidences  of  such  a  distinct  character  that  would  demonstrate  for 
themselves  anything  more  than  a  racial  difference,  and  perhaps  not 
even  that.  Among  the  known  caribou  of  North  America  there 
appear  to  be  three  distinct  styles  of  horns.  The  antlers  of  the  Arctic, 
or  Barren  Ground  animals  and  those  from  Newfoundland  are  widely 
different,  and  these  again  do  not  closely  resemble  those  of  the 
Canadian  and  western  animals,  the  principal  difference,  however, 
between  antlers  of  the  Newfoundland  and  Canadian  specimens 
being  the  much  heavier  character  of  the  former.  But  between 
the  antlers  of  the  caribou  from  the  eastern  and  western  portions 
of  the  continent,  from  Nova  Scotia  westward,  there  is  not  the  same 
difference,  and  a  reasonable  doubt  arises  in  the  mind  (the  im- 
mense individual  variation  in  the  form  and  size  of  the  antlers  being 
known  and  acknowledged)  whether  too  much  stress  has  not  been 
placed  upon  variable  and  insufficient  characters,  and  the  number  of 
species  of  caribou  in  North  America  thereby  unwarrantably  in- 
creased. The  three  styles  of  antlers  from  the  Kenai  Peninsula  shown 
on  the  plates  accompanying  this  paper  differ  greatly,  the  two  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Lee  agreeing  better  in  some  particulars  with  each  other 
than  either  do  with  Dr.  Allen's  specimen,  and  while  the  "anterior 
branch "  is  well  developed  in  both,  in  neither  of  them  does  it 
resemble  that  of  the  example  called  R.  stonei,  and  the  main  beam  has 
altogether  a  very  different  shape,  so  that  if  antlers  alone  were  a  sufn- 


62  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.    III. 

cient  character,  three  different  species  would  be  here  represented. 
It  is  very  evident  that  our  knowledge  of  western  and  northwestern 
caribou  is  very  imperfect  and  unsatisfactory,  our  material  having 
been  altogether  insufficient,  and  while  it  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  to  describe  specimens  as  "distinct,"  it  is  best  to  make  haste 
slowly  until   ample   evidence   is   obtained   to   establish  a  fact. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Lee  for  the  photographs  of  the 
animal  and  separate  antler  obtained  by  him  in  Alaska,  and  for  permis- 
sion to  take  descriptions  of  them. 

The  plate  of  R.  stonei  is  taken  from  the  half-tone  in  Dr.  Allen's 
paper. 


field  Columbian  museum. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.    XIII. 


Type  of  Rangifer  stonei. 

Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  V.  Coll. 


